Transformers
Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action, is directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It is the first installment of the live-action Transformers film series. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery. The Autobots intend to use the AllSpark, the object that created their robotic race, in an attempt to rebuild Cybertron and end the war while the Decepticons desire control of the AllSpark with the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight also star while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively. RiffTrax released their riff in November 2007. Synopsis and Preview Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, narrates the collapse of the Transformers' home world, Cybertron. It was rendered uninhabitable by war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Led by Megatron, the Decepticons are searching for the AllSpark so they could use it to take over the universe. The Autobots want to find the AllSpark so they can use it to rebuild Cybertron and end the war. Megatron managed to locate the AllSpark on Earth, but crash-landed in the Arctic Circle and froze in the ice. After stumbling upon his frozen body in 1897, explorer Captain Archibald Witwicky accidentally activated Megatron's navigational system and his eyeglasses were imprinted with the coordinates of the AllSpark's location, an incident that left him blind and mentally unstable. Sector 7, a secret government organization created by President Herbert Hoover, discovered the AllSpark in the Colorado River and built the Hoover Dam around it to mask its energy emissions. The still-frozen Megatron was moved into this facility and was used to advance human technology through reverse engineering. In the present day, the Decepticon known as Blackout attacks a U.S. military base in Qatar in order to find the location of Megatron and the AllSpark. He tries to hack into the files of the computer base but is stopped when the base commander cuts the computer hard lines. Captain William Lennox and his team manage to escape from the base and search for help. Back in the United States, Captain Witwicky's descendant Sam Witwicky buys his first car, which turns out to be the Autobot scout Bumblebee, who tries to help him woo his crush Mikaela Banes. Later, Sam catches a glimpse of Bumblebee's true form when he signals the other Autobots. On Air Force One, another Decepticon named Frenzy infiltrates the plane and tries to hack into the network again, only this time is more successful until he is stopped by the U.S. intelligence operatives before he can retrieve the file information. Frenzy is then picked up by his partner Barricade, and they pursue Sam after discovering he has the glasses with the AllSpark's coordinates. Witwicky is rescued by Bumblebee, and Mikaela also learns of the Transformers' existence. Bumblebee fights Barricade and manages to subdue him while Sam and Mikaela decapitate Frenzy although he still survives and disguises himself as Mikaela's phone. Meanwhile, Scorponok, who was sent by Blackout, fights Captain Lennox and his team, killing one of them and injuring another. During the battle, Scorponok is forced to retreat when he gets injured by sabot rounds fired on him by the U.S. Air Force. Lennox and his team then return to the United States and report their findings on the Decepticons to the Pentagon. Sam and Mikaela soon meet Optimus Prime and his other Autobot partners Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet. They explain their origins to the two humans and insist on the urgency to get to the AllSpark first before the Decepticons, knowing that the Decepticons plan to use it to turn all of Earth's technologies into a new army of Decepticons and render humans extinct. The Autobots bring the two humans back to Sam's house to find the glasses, and they nearly reveal their existence to Sam's parents by accident. However, Sector 7 agent Seymour Simmons and his team find Sam and take his family away to a classified location after learning Sam came into contact with the Autobots. Optimus and the Autobots try to rescue Witwicky and Banes, however they fail and Bumblebee ends up getting captured along with Witwicky and Banes. The Autobots, however, retrieve the glasses and use them to find the AllSpark's location so they can destroy it before the Decepticons use it. Sam and Mikaela are taken to Hoover Dam, along with Maggie Madsen and Glen Whitmann, two hackers who were captured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for trying to decipher the information Frenzy stole while working in the Pentagon. Frenzy, who was transported to the dam while in disguise, finds the AllSpark and contacts the other Decepticons, Starscream, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Barricade, and Blackout. Starscream attacks the dam and Frenzy frees Megatron from his frozen prison, where he joins his cohorts into pursuing Sam and the Autobots. Bumblebee shrinks the cube to a reasonable size so they can escape with it. They then arrive at Mission City, where a large battle ensues. Working together, the Autobots and human soldiers defeat Bonecrusher, Blackout, and Brawl. However, Bumblebee is crippled, and Jazz is killed by Megatron. When Megatron begins to gain the upper hand in the fight, Optimus urges Sam to put the AllSpark in his chest, which will destroy them both. Instead, Witwicky instead inserts the cube into Megatron's chest, which kills him and destroys the AllSpark. In the aftermath, the dead Transformer bodies are dumped into the Laurentian Abyss in the Atlantic Ocean to be hidden, the government orders the closure of Sector 7, and the Witwicky family is released from custody. Sam and Mikaela soon start a new relationship, and Optimus says that the Autobots' fates have given them a new home, Earth, and sends a message calling out all surviving Autobots to join them. In a mid-credits scene, Starscream escapes into space. Cast and Crew *Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky *Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes *Josh Duhamel as William Lennox *Tyrese Gibson Robert Epps *Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen *Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann *Jon Voight as John Keller *John Turturro as Agent Seymour Simmons *Michael O'Neill as Tom Banachek *Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky *Julie White as Judy Witwicky *Glenn Morshower as Colonel Sharp *Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia *Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime *Mark Ryan as Bumblebee *Darius McCrary as Jazz *Robert Foxworth as Ratchet *Jess Harnell as Ironhide *Hugo Weaving as Megatron *Jim Wood as Bonecrusher *Reno Wilson as Frenzy *Charlie Adler as Starscream Quotes * (The title card "In association with Hasbro, Inc." appears.) Mike: "Ooh, and that's all the Oscar commitee needed to see." Transformers was nominated for an Oscar award in 2008 for "Best Visual Effects", but lost to The Golden Compass. This commentary was released before the 2008 Academy Awards aired. * "And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called..." Mike:"Melmac!" "Earth." Mike: "Ah. Figures." Melmac was the fictional home planet of the title character in the television series ALF. The name is a joke reference to the Melmac brand of dinnerware made popular in the 1950s. * Bill:"The mood is somber at Camp Swampy ever since the Buxley v Halftrack harassment suit." Camp Swampy is the setting of Mort Walker's military-themed comic strip Beetle Bailey. Miss Buxley is the curvaceous secretary of Brigadier General Amos T. Halftrack , and his lecherous attention to her is a frequent source of the strip's humor. * "Sir, just ask yourself. What would Jesus do?" Bill:"Or at the very least, what would Mr. Feeney do?" Mr. Feeny was the teacher on the 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World. * "Our radio's fried. I've got no communication with aerial." Bill: "Nor Prince Eric." Prince Eric is the love interest of the main character, Ariel, in the movie The Little Mermaid. * (Optimus is menacing the Sector 7 agents.) Mike:"Uh... my favorite show is ''Small Wonder."'' Small Wonder was a sitcom from the 1980s about a lifelike robot child. * "Mr. Secretary..." "James Spader is here to spank you!" A reference to the 2002 movie Secretary, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as a secretary who enters into a BDSM relationship with her boss, played by Spader. * "Actually, it was a Beast Wars figurine!" Beast Wars was an animal-themed Transformers toyline from the late 1990s, accompanied by a CGI animated series which was praised by fans for its dark overtones and character development. * "Looks like a drive-by, Miami-style." Kevin quotes David Caruso's character from the TV drama CSI: Miami, who always says a one-liner while putting on his sunglasses followed by the opening guitar riff and scream from The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" at the opening of the episode. Notes See Also *Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen *Transformers: Dark of the Moon External Link *Transformers on RiffTrax *Transformers on Amazon Category:Transformers Category:RiffTrax Category:Official RiffTrax Category:RiffTrax in 2007